I don't off hand know what lithium carbonate's solubility in alcohol is
but I have always used it as an aqueous solution and it has worked fine.
I recommend this approach because you need to wash it out in tap water
to prevent any carry over before going into eosin. If you have not
completely removed the lithium carbonate your eosin staining will be
unsatisfactory. Since you will have to wash anyone, there doesn't seem
to be a good reason to make up the lithium in alcohol.


Vinnie Della Speranza
Manager for Anatomic Pathology Services
Medical University of South Carolina
165 Ashley Avenue  Suite 309
Charleston, SC 29425
Ph: 843-792-6353
fax: 843-792-8974

>>> "Cohen, Mary Ann"  01/31/02 08:45AM >>>

 Hi all,

My question is, for an H&E stain when making up your lithium carbonate
solution after your Hematox dip, I am using a saturated aqueous
lithium
carbonate solution with 1 gram of lithium into 100 ml of ( this is the
question ) do I use distilled H2O, or 100 % EtOH? If my memory serves
me
after many years of working in the lab and smelling all of the
chemicals, I
would use EtOH, is this correct.

I would appreciate your comments.

Food for thought, I do not want to use pre-made clarifier.

Thanks,

MaryAnn Cohen
Pathology Assistant
MTS II
BioReliance
9630 Medical Center Drive
Rockville, MD 20850-3349
301-610-2192
mcohen@bioreliance.com 
fax # 301-838-0371